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with bated breath

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Idioms and Phrases

Eagerly or anxiously, as in We waited for the announcement of the winner with bated breath . This expression literally means “holding one's breath” ( bate means “restrain”). Today it is also used somewhat ironically, indicating one is not all that eager or anxious. [Late 1500s] Also see hold one's breath , def. 2.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“People are waiting with bated breath,” he said.

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We wait with bated breath to hear about others apparently in the crosshairs of would-be “efficiency” cuts.

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Amid the chaotic filings and deadlines and decisions issued over the past few days, lawyers attempted to parse what she was doing and why she believed she could do it as we waited with bated breath to figure out who would stop her.

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I think we’re all also waiting with bated breath to see how hard you will go.

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"Wisdom seems to pique the interest of people across the world. We wait each year with bated breath for her return."

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

with bad grace with bells on

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